Receptacle opener



Sept. 13, 1938. Hv. w. Run-:GER 2,129,785

RECEPTACLE OPENER Filed NOV. 19, 1956 Herman /Ff/eger Patented Sept. 13, 1938 PATET OFFICE RECEPTACLE OPENER Herman W. Rueger, Lancaster, Pa., assigner to Liberty Can and Sign Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Applcaton'November 19, i936, Serial No. 111,723

8 Claims.

This invention relates to receptacle openers for relatively small diameter common type friction sealed plugs employed to close or seal such receptacles, and also to a special combination of such an opener with such a sealing plug and recepta-cle. While primarily adapted and intended for use with a small diameter or relatively small diameter plug, it may of course also beI used with a large diameter plug, but after a certain size or diameter is reached the efficiency of this opener will tend to decrease as the diameter of the plug increases and the thickness of the metal used in the plug decreases.

N The primary objects of the present invention are: to provide such a lever type opener permanently associated with the plug and which will serve by a single point contact with the can body to pry the plug free from the can body; to provide a very efficient lever for this purpose in the if) form of a very simple metal stamping which may be produced in large quantity for an extremely small cost; to provide a combined construction of plug and lever whereby the lever will be operated upon and so formed after an initial insertion in the plug as to permanently associate the lever and plug, definitely and positively preventing their separation; to so combine or associate the lever and plug that in inoperative position the lever will lie fiat and substantially flush with the top of the plug and conform in peripheral direction with the general form of the flange of the plug, whereby the plug may be forced into the body of the can by means of a press or other power means and so as to seat the flange of the plug firmly against the top of the can without the risk of injury to the lever, or to the operative or prying tool or foot of the lever; to provide a construction whereby `the operating lever or opening lever will be disposed in a peripheral direction tolie against the radial top flange of the plug and so will not require to be specially registered in position with relation toy any possible design as ornamentation or photolithographic or other surface ornamentation upon the plug; and

L to so combine the plug opening lever and can body as to provide for the rm and tight sealing of the can body and the unobtrusive disposition of the lever operatively permanently associated with the plug and capable of repeated operation to repeatedly remove the plug according as access to the interior of the can may be desired either initially or at any time after the initial opening of the can according as the contents thereof are used up or replaced.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a can embodying my invention;

Figure 2, a top plan View thereof;

60 Figure 3, a side elevation of a fragmentary portion thereof, partially broken away and partially in section;

Figure 4, a fragmentary portion thereof in side elevation and partly broken away and in section, the lever and plug being shown in the operative position of the lever;

Figure 5, a side elevation of the plug, with the lever inserted through the opening or slot in the plug and in its initial stage of application and prior to the bending of the foot to final form;

Figure 6, a sectional View on the line 6--6 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, the opening lever being shown broken away, in raised position and in its final applied form;

Figure '7, a view similar to Figure 5, of a modif fled form of lever; and

Figure 8, a perspective View of the modified form of lever.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, A designates the top seam of the can body E; B, the usual peripheral wall or ange of the top; C, the usual top web extending radially inward from the flange B preferably in a straight horizontal plane to the usual very slightly downwardly tapering or cone form seat or opening wall D normally closed by friction plug G which has a relatively v wide radial outer flange F, the extreme radially outer edge of which is preferably curled or sealed under as illustrated.

The lever I is preferably formed from a flat sheet of preferably tempered sheet steel to make it strong and stiff, it is preferably curved lengthwise to accord in form in a peripheral direction` with the ange F of the plug, being preferably substantially, but slightly less, in width than the width of said flange F and has its prying or o-perative end cut away or reduced in width, bent downward at an obtuse angle and inserted through the cooperating slot 2 preferably in the downwardly inclined portion or wall of the iiange F where the same is depressed or mashed down to form the recess 4. As thus inserted through the slot 2 the lever I is in its initial condition with its prying end in the form of a spread V and after such insertion the free arm or part of the V is bent by any suitable tool to closed position or substantially closed position to form the loop shaped prying foot 3 having a stop surface 5 which engages the underface of the flange F to prevent separation of said lever I from said flange F. As thus associated the lever and top are permanently connected together. The foot 3 is turned at an obtuse angle from the arm I of the lever and in the associatedrelation of the plug and the top of the can, the foot 3 is disposed immediately above the web or top C of the can body.

The foot 3 is of such length and disposed at such an angle with relation to the arm I of the lever that when the plug or top Gr is applied Cil to the can body E with the curled edge of the flange F of said plug or top in firm contact or resting upon the top seam A of said body at all points thereabout, the said foot 3 will lie at an inclination between the upper face or the top or web C of the can body and the lower face of the flange F of the top or plug G, either l in light touching contact with said top or flange C or separated therefrom by a practically ininitesimal space, all as illustrated in Figure 3 and yet such that when arm l of the lever is moved to operative position as illustrated in Figure 4 the operative curved end or foot 3 of the lever will extend below the bottom of the plug G and by bearing on the top or web C of the body will force the adjacent portion of said plug G entirely free from the conical wall or seat D. It is preferred that, as possibly more clearly illustrated in the enlarged fragmentary Figure 6, the foot (i will extend below the bottom wall of the plug G, and preferably for an appreciable distance therebelow. However while this is preferred, it is not essential and it will sufce if the foot 3 be of such length and disposed at such angle with relation to the arm i when the latter is moved into op-erative position the foot 3 will serve to pry the plug loose so that it may be lifted from the top of the can without difficulty and yet such that when the arm i of the lever is disposed in inoperative position, as illustrated in Figure 3, the foot 3 will be accommodated between the flange F and the top or web C without interfering with the proper seating of the plug G in the end of the can.

The recess 4 may be formed in any suitable manner in any suitable press and will simply involve pressing down the peripheral portion of the flange F for a distance corresponding to the length of the arm l of the lever to a depth corresponding to the width of the lever l or arm i of the lever, such compression being accommodated in the diameter of the edge curl of the flange F, without involving any depression or offsetting of the material below the lower plane of the said edge curl, and thus not in an;7 manner interfering with the true seating of the said edge curl of fiange F at all points on the top of the seam A of the can body E.

In the modification illustrated in Figures and 8 the construction and operation and relationship of the parts is in all respects the same as in the preferred form except that insead of making the prying foot of loop form as shown in the preferred form, a single thickness prying foot 3i? is slightly offset with relation to the lever l, extending through the slot 2 in the zone of said offset, and has a locking tongue pressed out from the inclined portion of said offset after insertion through said slot 2 to engage against the lower face of the flange F to permanently connect the lever and plug, all as clearly illustrated in Figure 7.

With this modified construction the foot will extend substantially parallel to the arm l of the lever and when the latter is in its inoperative position, in a position in other words corresponding to the position of the lever illustrated in Figure 3, the foot 3@ will be disposed closely adjacent to the flange F and will not occupy so much space in a vertical direction or axial direction as the preferred form.

Preferably in both forms the free end of the arm i will be formed with a lobe orv enlarged portion extending radially inward slightly beyond the wall of the plug G, into the hollowed recess thereof to facilitate easy means of pressing by linger tip upon the extreme outer under face of the lever arm I to initially move it toward its operative position, such enlargement or lobe being well shown in Figure 2.

Figures l to 5 inclusive of the drawing are made to full size, or approximately full size, scale from an actual commercial specimen of the present preferred embodiment of my invention, wherein the discharge opening D is circular and approximately 21A, inches in diameter and the external diameter of the-closure plug flange F being approximately 2% inches. Off course the discharge opening D, as well also as the body E need not be round, but may be of any preferred form. Likewise the body Ev might be of much greater size in cross-section without involving any increase in the size of the discharge opening D or plug G, in which case the top of the receptacle will preferably be formed with an endless rib or seam corresponding in function to seam A so far as respects cooperation with flange F and will have a web top corresponding to C depressed below the plane of the top of seam A for such distance as may be required to accommodate the foot 3 or 3D' between the lower face of the flange F and the upper face of said web top C when the arm l is in normal position as illustrated in Figure 3.

It is not essential to my invention that the top of flange F'shall be depressed as at l or that the top shall not all lie in the same plane, nor is it essential that the slot 2 through which the lever extends shall be located in an inclined portion nor that it shall not be in the flat bottom portion of said recess 4 where such recess 4 is provided or just simply in any portion of the flange F where such recess 4 is not provided.

Also, while the form of lever illustrated in Figures l to 6 inclusive is preferred, the said lever may be embodied in a number of other and different forms, it sucing if there be provided a lever extending through a slot in the flange F of the plug G and serving by engagement with a part of the plug or flange thereof and engagement with a part of the top portion of the can body or receptacle to pry the plug G free from its seat D.

I claim:

1. A friction closure plug having an imperiorate plug form body and formed with a wide marginal flange having a downwardly and inwardly curled bead at its extreme outer edge, said flange having a portion depressed below the plane of its top and connected therewith by integral axially extending portions to form a recess and being disposed between the face of the top of said flange and the bottom of said bead, one of said axially extending portions being slotted, and a receptacle formed with a top seam conforming in outline and size with said flange bead and all lying substantially in the same plane to be engaged by and to support said flange bead and having a top imperforate web disposed substantially below the plane of the top of said seam and extending inward at all points to the top of a sealing seat for the plug body, said seat defining the receptacle discharge opening, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot integrally connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot and being of a length exceeding the axial distance between the lower face of said flange and the lower face of said plug body, said arm normally lying in said recess substantially parallel with the upper face of the bottom thereof and with its upper face substantially flush with the adjacent portions of the upper face of said flange, and said foot normally lying between the lower face of said flange and the upper face of said top web and bearing against the lower face of said flange with its upper portion and against the upper face of said web with its lower portion as the said arm is progressively moved from its inoperative to its extreme operative position to pry said plug free from its seat.

2. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide marginal flange having a downwardly and inwardly curled bead at its extreme outer edge, said flange being formed with a slot, and a receptacle formed with a top seam conforming in outline and size with said flange bead to be engaged by and to support said flange bead and having a top web disposed substantially below the plane of the top of said seam and extending inward to the top of a sealing seat for the plug body, said seat defining the receptacle discharge opening, in combination with a lever having an arm portion and a prying foot integrally connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot and being of a length exceeding the a-xial distance between the lower face of said flange and the lower face of said plug body, said arm normally lying substantially flush with the adjacent portions of the upper face of said ange, and said foot normally lying between the lower face of said flange and the upper face of said top web and bearing against the lower face of said flange with its upper portion and against the upper face of said web with its lower portion as the said arm is progressively moved from its inoperative to its extreme operative position to pry said plug free from its seat.

3. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide marginal flange having a downwardly and inwardly curled bead at its extreme outer edge, said flange being formed with a slot, and a receptacle formed with a top seam to be engaged by said flange and having a top web disposed substantially below the plane of the top of said seam and extending inwardly to the top of a sealing seat for the plug body, said seat defining the receptacle discharge opening, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot, said arm normally lying substantially parallel with the upper face of said flange, and said foot normallyl lying between the lower face of said flange and the upper face of said top web and bearing against the lower face of said flange with its upper portion and against the upper face of said web with its lower portion as the said arm is progressively moved from its inoperative to its extreme operative position to pry said plug free from its seat.

4. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide marginal flange having a downwardly and inwardly curled bead at its extreme outer edge, said flange being formed with a slot and having a portion depressed below the plane of its top to form a recess, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot, said arm normally lying in said recess with its upper face substantially flush with the adjacent portions of the upper face of said flange, and said foot normally lying close to and below the lower face of said ilange and bearing against the lower face of said flange with its upper portion and being adapted to bear against the upper face of a receptacle with its lower portion as the said arm is progressively moved from its inoperative to its extreme operative position.

5. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide annular marginal flange having a peripherally extending depression below the plane of its top and a radial slot adjacent one end of said depression, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot and being disposed at an obtuse angle to said arm, said f arm normally lying in said depression with its upper face substantially flush with the adjacent portions of the upper face of said flange, said connecting portion being of reduced width, said arm having abrupt stop shoulders adjacent said connecting portion and substantially -corresponding in curvature to the curvature peripherally of said depression, and said prying foot having a portion engaging with the lower face of said flange during the movement of said arm from normal to extreme operative position.

6. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide annular marginal ilange having a slot, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot and being of a length exceeding the axial distance between the lower face of said flange and the lower face of said plug body, said connecting portion being of reduced Width, said arm substantially corresponding in curvature to a segment of the top of said flange and normally lying substantially parallel with, and closely adjacent to said ilange, and said prying foot extending at an obtuse angle to said arm and being of loop form and in operation engaging with its upper portion the lower face of said flange adjacent said slot.

'7. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide annular marginal flange having a radial slot, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot, said arm substantially corresponding in curvature to a segment of said flange and said foot being provided with means to engage and bear against the lower face of said flange during the operative movement of said arm.

8. A friction closure plug having a plug form body and formed with a wide annular marginal flange having a radial slot, in combination with a lever having an arm and a prying foot connected with said arm by a connecting portion extending through said slot, said arm substantially corresponding in curvature to a segment of said flange and said foot being provided with a tongue to engage and bear against the lower face of said flange during the operative movement of said arm.

HERMAN W. RUEGER'. 

